Many absorbent products, such as disposable diapers, sanitary napkins and the like, include an absorbent batt or panel. The absorbent batt is formed of loosely compacted short fibers, such as wood pulp fibers, or cotton linters, or mixtures thereof, and the like. The batt is produced by taking a source of short fibers such as a pulpboard and grinding the board and individualizing the fibers therein using a grinding mill. The individualized fibers are collected on a screen or other permeable means in the form of a layer of loosely associated short fibers. The layer is usually lightly compacted to provide some integrity.
In some absorbent products, a batt of a specific shape may be desired. In the prior art, shaped batts have been produced by forming the loose fibrous batt into the desired shape as the fibers are being laid on a screen or permeable means or by the usual technique of die-cutting or blade-cutting a rectangular batt.
What we have discovered is an improved method and apparatus for shaping batts of loosely compacted short fibers including cutting a continuous batt of such fibers into individual sections. Our new and improved method and apparatus will form and cut such batt at very high rates of speed and is economical. Both attributes are important in the production of disposable products such as disposable diapers. Furthermore, our new and improved method and apparatus will form any desired shape and forms the shape without either ragged edges or hard-cut edges which is often the case with prior art techniques. Our new and improved method and apparatus produces smooth uniform edges in the final batt with a minimum of loss of material.